Pharmacist Feature: Audrey (PGY-2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Resident)
“I love psychiatric pharmacy because almost everything is a gray area and its not as guideline/algorithm driven as some other specialties. It is more so matching a drug with what will fit best for a patient and it is a very individualized process which I love! It helps me to think creatively and outside of the box at times. It has been very rewarding working for the VA and giving back to our Veterans.”
Pharmacy School: Northeastern University
Current Position: “PGY-2 psychiatric pharmacy at small VA hospital (approx. 150 beds)- during PGY2 I rotate through inpatient psychiatric unit, outpatient pain management, outpatient mental health, outpatient neurology”
Typical Day: “My typical day varies depending on what rotation I am on. For inpatient mental health (approx 25 beds) (where I am currently and what I want to pursue for a career), I first review my patients, any updates overnight, catch up on admissions and see if there is anything I need to address during rounds. I round with one of our inpatient mental health teams consisting of attending, medical residents, medical students, psych techs, social work and pharmacy +/- pharmacy students. We preround as a group, go and see our patients individually and then debrief after. My afternoons are spend doing admission and discharge medication reconciliations for all of our patients, discharge counseling, patient medication education as indicated, performing AIMS tests, therapeutic drug monitoring, fielding provider drug info or operational questions and follow-up on any other interventions. I will also have topic discussion with my preceptor and pharmacy student once or twice per week. Other longitudinal duties that I work on as time permits are non-formulary drug requests, mental health e-consults from outpatient psychiatrists, monitoring outpatient clozapine and lithium.”
Favorite Part: “Learning so many new things everyday and feeling like I'm making a difference in improving the lives of others. I am so passionate about mental illness and thankful that I can work in this field every day!”
Least Favorite Part: “Residency is demanding- so it can be a challenge to balance all work related responsibilities and making sure i'm not neglecting things in my personal life.”
Prior Experience: “My PGY-1 residency last year prepared me well for PGY-2. My program was more ambulatory care focused but still very general so it helped me to develop a strong clinical foundation. In terms of mental health, I unfortunately wasn't matched with a mental health rotation during my P4 year which I was upset about, and then due to staffing/extended leave issues during PGY-1 I did not have my mental health rotation until later in the year which was also frustrating. But since I was so passionate about psychiatry and learning all that I could- I reached out for different shadowing opportunities and exposure in any way that I could and did my own independent learning. I think it is important to be proactive and make things happen for yourself rather than waiting around for the opportunities to find you.”